1997 Nissan Altima Interior Review at Automotive.com
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1997 Nissan Altima Review: Interior

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1997 Nissan Altima Review

Affordable chic.
Interior
Inside, the Altima GLE scores high marks with room and comfort. Every

Altima benefits from an open and airy cabin with excellent all-around visibility.

The dash and the windscreen are positioned low and forward respectively,

giving the front passengers ample personal room coupled with an excellent

view over the hood. The cockpit is sufficiently spacious, but it could

benefit from a wee bit more elbow room. Regardless, the interior has a

warm, luxurious feeling, thanks to its woodgrain and leather.

Up front, the leather buckets provide a great driving position and adequate

lateral support, a particulalry effective blend for highway cruising. Rear

seat leg and head room rates as average for cars in this size class. The

Altima is rated for five passengers, but like so many smaller mid-size

sedans is really better suited to two in the rear. A rear seat plus is

the handy flip-down console/armrest with integrated cup holders.

In general, all interior controls are logically laid out and easy to

locate and use. Climate controls are located high in the middle of the

dash, easily accessible by the driver and passenger alike. The fan knob

could be larger, but the controls are otherwise well-designed. However,

we'd prefer to see the audio controls, which are adjusted more frequently,

at the top of the stack.

Unlike some mid-size cars, the Altima's radio controls are large enough

to operate with gloves on. The standard 50-watt AM/FM/cassette system has

plenty of power, but if plenty isn't enough, Nissan offers a 160-watt upgrade

that includes a CD player.

Our sole complaint with the Altima's otherwise excellent control layout

lies with the steering wheel position, which feels slightly left of center.

But this is one of those small design idiosyncrasies that quickly becomes

transparent after a few miles on the road. Next Page



1997 Nissan Altima